Ashioto
by Rolynne
Summary: AU. When a strange child stumbles upon Konoha, everyone ends up pulled into an adventure like no Shinobi has ever seen. Well, at least not for some two hundred years.
1. Prologue

Ashioto

Story Plot:

AU. When a strange child stumbles upon Konoha, everyone ends up pulled into an adventure like no Shinobi has ever seen. Well, at least not for some two hundred years.

A 'For Want of a Nail' fic. This is gonna be similar to canon for a bit of the beginning of the story, but it will get enormously AU farther along.

Disclaimer: Ha, I don't own Naruto. I don't think the manga would've gone as far as it has if I did.

Prologue

* * *

><p>A long time ago, nine siblings appeared, hailed as the most powerful ninjas ever known.<p>

They traveled around the world, visiting villages and countries. They would visit the towns and help out with any problems with thieves or bandits. They took up jobs, varying from all types, to earn money for their travels. They'd gladly accept challenges from other ninja, and they'd make new friends along the way. Despite all this, they never stopped traveling.

Many countries recognized their power, and allowed them to travel through their lands so long as they did not cause any trouble.

However, several villages hated them for their strength. They desired the small nation where the siblings resided for their riches, and felt that their strength was the last straw. Wary, they teamed up and attacked the country, prepared to go to war.

Ten countries took notice of this, those who supported the siblings decided to gather and counter the attack, allying with the small nation.

The result was the first war between nations. When the battle was finished, and the ten countries had ultimately won, the siblings appeared before them, grateful.

Then they revealed their true forms.

Nine creatures towered before the leaders of the villages, magnificent and terrifying. A variety of different numbered tales fanning behind them, ranging from one to nine.

_"We are biju, sons and daughters of the Jubi." _They told them, further increasing the shock of the great ninja. _"We thank you for your kindness, and are in your debt. We have traveled for a long time searching for a place to call home, therefore we ask permission to settle in your lands."_

Half of the village leaders were fearful of the biju, of their power and strength. So they denied the request and even went so far as to prohibit them from entering their lands.

The other half of the village leaders felt no fear for they trusted the biju, and told them they had no need to pay back the debt, so they welcomed them in their lands.

Grateful, the biju told the kind village leaders that their country would someday hail to be known as the most powerful shinobi villages, the Five Great Countries.

And so the biju settled into those five countries, each starting a powerful clan.

The Land of Fire ended up with the eldest of the siblings, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Her descendants became known as the Kitsune Clan, ancestors and cousins of the foxes.

Of the nine biju, this clan was the only one the Land of Fire held, but they treasured the Clan and closely supported them. So the Kitsune Clan supported the Land of Fire, in a tight alliance and friendship.

Time and time again the Clan paid back the Kyuubi's debt, but they never left the village, and continued to flourish.

However, the Land of Fire eventually fell into times of great distress. They requested the aid of the Kitsune Clan, and began pushing back their opponents slowly but surely.

However, in the most critical times of need, the glorious clan disappeared without a trace.

* * *

><p>AN:

Let's see how much this'll change things.

Review! (:


	2. Graduation Day

Ashioto

AU. When a strange child stumbles upon Konoha, everyone ends up pulled into an adventure like no Shinobi has ever seen. ...Well, at least not for some two hundred years.

Disclaimer: Well, I don't own Naruto, or the dialogue from the first episode. I'm not even Japanese.

Chapter 1: Trackways

* * *

><p>A dust of starlight glittered above him.<p>

_Tomorrow's the day._

Naruto smiled, idly watching a small star fly across the sky.

_Tomorrow's the Genin Exams! _Grinning fiercely, he shifted on the roof.

The entire school year had come and gone as quick as an arrow. Almost three years ago he'd been nothing more than a starving, battered kid searching for his parents, looking for refuge from _them_. Almost three years ago he'd arrived in Konoha, filthy and bloody as he tried and succeeded to throw off his pursuers, pursuers who he thankfully had never seen again. Almost three years ago the Hokage had taken him into his care, slowly easing him into the orphanage.

Naruto snorted. _Can't say I like that decision. But s'better than _other_ options._

Two years ago, the Old Man had noticed his talent for ninjutsu, and enrolled him into the Shinobi Academy.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow would finally be the day that he graduated to a Genin. Tomorrow he'd become a real Shinobi, and learn better ninjutsu, and go on missions and be finally recognized as an adult! Granted, a twelve year old adult who couldn't drink or stuff like that but an adult nonetheless!

And, best of all, tomorrow he'd finally get to find his own apartment.

_I can't wait!_

Tired of the view, he got up from the orphanage's roof and quickly climbed the little chimney, dusty from the lack of use. The roof was the best place to look at the stars but to see the hidden village, he wasn't sure whether it was the Hokages' heads or this chimney. Konoha glowed fiercely in the distance. It was a sight that hadn't stopped amazing him since he saw it almost three years ago. The bright lights decorated the streets, swift silhouettes of shinobi bounding on the rooftops, the Hokages' faces illuminated and almost glowing as they watched their village. For a moment it was just him and the buildings, time seeming to slip away-

"NARUTO!"

He winced at the shrill voice coming from the window. His window, specifically. Stilling, he bit down on his tongue and tried to stay as quiet as possible, hoping she didn't realize he was there.

"Naruto, you come down right this instant, mister!"

Grumbling, he climbed down the chimney, knowing there would be hell to play if he ignored her. Quickly heading to the side of the building, noticing with delight that he'd only slipped twice on the tiles, he got to the edge. Letting himself drop Naruto grabbed the roof, swing into the window with ease.

There, with crossed arms and an annoyed face, greeted him the girl he knew to be the most obnoxious thing in the Land of Fire.

He also had the displeasure of being her roommate.

"What do you want now, Aiko?" He groaned, glancing at the window.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" She hissed, and he hmphed.

"I thought I already told you," She continued sweetly, choosing her words carefully. "That you're not allowed to move Momo when she's taking a nap!"

She gestured to the corner of his vision, where he could see a small figure and strands of straw hair.

Naruto glared at the six year old. "Momo's just a doll, Aiko."

She glared back, indignated. "She's my doll! And you're not allowed to touch that side of the room without telling me!"

Naruto sniffed, drawing an annoyed eye at her. "And what makes you think I touched it?"

"I know you did! I didn't leave Momo on my bed!"

"That's cause you left it on mine! I needed to make my bed, you brat!"

Her face turned a strong shade of red, and she turned sharply to the open door.

"Nana!" The girl shrieked. "Naruto called me a brat!"

"Naruto!" A voice answered from the first floor. "So help me if you're arguing with Aiko again I'm taking away your allowance!"

And then there was quiet.

The blonde snarled at the six year old, who sneered at him with a smug expression on her chubby little face. It took all his willpower to not make a rude gesture, lest she tell on him again.

_Tattletale! _He thought childishly.

Snorting, he headed to the windowsill, only to be interrupted by Aiko again.

"What are you doing anyway?" She asked, a glance from the corner of his eye telling him that she was stroking her doll's hair.

"Thinking," He replied stiffly, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation.

"Is it about that exam tomorrow?"

He paused, turning to fully look at her.

"What would you know?" He mumbled, and sat on the windowsill.

"I know that you're gonna fail, you weirdo." She smiled adorably, grabbing a brush for Momo.

He snarled, starting for the roof once more. "You don't know anything! You're not a ninja!"

"Of course not!" Aiko scoffed, indignant at the very idea. "You have to work and get all dirty! And then you'd hafta take a bath! Who would want that?"

"See, that's why you don't know anything." He poked his head through the window, glaring at his roommate. "Like how I'm gonna pass tomorrow and become a Genin!"

_So I can finally leave this rotten place._

* * *

><p>Early morning shone through the sky as the class settled in, buzzing around with excitement in the air. Today was special, not just because their classes would mostly be taken outside, neither because it would be a full weekend the next few days.<p>

They were graduating.

Sitting as patiently as he could, Naruto bounced, head spinning around to take in everywhere, though he knew the Academy well enough. A little away from the rest of the group, he tried to take in and remember everything he could. The green fields, chicks chirping from their nest, his favorite swing, that crooked tree which was always being used as target practice… he wanted to remember everything about today.

_Today's the day! _Naruto revistited the thought, heart beating quickly with his nervousness.

He caught the chirping of a little bird, far away. Probably a parent of those chicks. Grinning, he kept staring around, his classroom chatting anxiously about the test they'd take for the third time.

Is this what it was like for them, the past two times? He felt nervous, and excited, and happy and worried and so many other feelings—!

How did they handle it all?

A brush of fur against the grass nearby him broke Naruto out of his thoughts, and he turned around to see a lolled tongue belonging to Kiba's dog.

"Hey Akamaru!" Naruto smiled nervously, while the dog kept quiet and remained still. White fur pricked up at the hairs of the dog's neck, and the puppy stared at him in suspicion before continuing his task. He watched the Inuzuka nindog head towards an object that looked suspiciously like a small yellow ball among the grass. How had he missed that?

"Akamaru!" His owner shouted, and the dog wagged his tail in return before picking up the toy and running away.

The blonde stared back at the retreating form, holding his sigh in until no one watched him.

Kiba had been one of his best friends. They understood each other better than the other kids, they brawled for the purpose of brawling, he'd enjoy teasing the Inuzuka about anything and everything he could think about, Kiba would enjoy a free fight available any time without any complaints, and shared lots of gross secrets. Then Kiba had gotten Akamaru, who he'd been rather uncomfortable with. The dog had been rather neutral with him at first, steadily growing even more suspicious until he began to growl at him. Around that time Kiba became a bit more arrogant, and eventually they had a few serious clashes before deciding to go their separate ways.

But none of that mattered now, even if he could never forgive Akamaru, or dogs in general. The past was the past and he had an exam to pass right now.

* * *

><p>Hours later, he was bruised and sore, but beaming with excitement. Taijutsu was one of his better areas, and he'd excelled at it. His opponent had a good form, a good stance, and his strikes were solid enough, but Naruto had danced, swift and agile (well, at least in his opinion), sticking low to the ground until he'd gotten a good shot and knocked his classmate into the air. Iruka-sensei had been nonchalant, congratulating him and leading him to his seat, but he was sure he'd gotten a pretty nice score.<p>

The written exam was finally over, and he hoped he could at least get a decent grade. Intellect and such wasn't his strength, though he did have good ideas when it came to strategy. Especially short term.

Unfortunately it was a written exam, which had gotten him nervous and wishing they would advance to the jutsu portion of the test. He was so nervous his handwriting had gone from ugly to illegible, and he'd returned Mizuki-sensei's pencil all chewed up (he'd forgotten his own at home – stupid!- and Iruka-sensei refused to borrow his). He was pretty sure he'd failed that section, even though he'd studied all week for this!

Now all was left was the ninjutsu portion, of which Iruka-sensei explained would consist of them presenting the three basic jutsus they'd learned in school with two teachers, who would give the final decision of them passing the year.

Frankly, he didn't know what to feel.

The other kids had also taken the exam, two times in fact. He hadn't been there that long. The arts of the shinobi were easy once he got the gist of it, but he'd been learning things the others had already seen, and reviewed and explained, so while he was stumbling through, trying to get the same grasp the others had, they would master the benefits of ninjutsu and other things, and try the different ways to use them.

It was only logical that he'd become the lowest grading student. …In the history of the Academy.

What if the teachers decided he wasn't experienced enough? What if he didn't have a good enough grasp on his jutsus? What if he completely messed up, or if he failed to remember the handseals correctly, or, or-

Erasing all thoughts from his mind, Naruto fell back onto training habits beat into his head, stilled as much as possible and _breathed_.

It really did wonders for his focus.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Lifting his head, he felt agitation creep over him once more before banishing it as he walked down the stairs.

Silently, he hoped that Mizuki wouldn't be one of those evaluating him. There was something about the guy that rubbed him the wrong way.

Mizuki opened the door with a squeak, and he entered, spotting Iruka scribbling something on his board, sitting next to three rows of hitai-ates, newly polished and with the leaf symbol embedded into their metal plate. It took all of his willpower not to grab one and try it on experimentally.

"Naruto." Iruka-sensei smiled at him, nodding over to the front. He caught the cue and stood in front of them, with enough space to be able to comfortably perform a jutsu.

"Since this is your first time presenting the exam, let me explain what you're going to do. We'll be asking you to perform the three basic jutsus, as you already know, and we'll use the results to decide whether you'll pass or fail."

Naruto nodded. It seemed simple enough (even though he was disappointed Mizuki-sensei _would_ be evaluating him)

"First, the kawarimi."

Naruto glanced around quickly for anything replaceable and decided to simply switch with one of the teachers. He had to bite his tongue to not laugh at Mizuki-sensei's face, who quickly composed himself. Iruka-sensei nodded, chuckling a little himself and wrote something on his notepad.

"Now, the henge." Mizuki-sensei cleared his throat.

He formed a simple seal, grinning, and the puff accompanying him revealed a figure that turned out to be Mizuki with a more subtle smile on his face.

Iruka nodded, smiling as well and making a few more notes. "And last, the Bunshin."

He'd been prepared for it, he really had but Naruto still couldn't help but pale upon hearing it.. Just a simple Bunshin? That was impossible, he had way too much chakra to control for that basic jutsu!

_The one thing I'm not good at…_

"Well?" Iruka-sensei said, staring at him with his pencil twitching.

"…Bunshin." Naruto said, after an awkward silence. "Right."

Forming the last seal, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

Even so it wasn't enough. The amount of chakra he released separately from the justu to try and balance out would go out of control lest he stopped, and it wasn't enough to stop it from spiraling out of his grasp so he had no other choice than to repress it again. With one final try, Naruto released his chakra but he could feel too much seep out along with it, and even amongst the large smoke formed from his jutsu he _knew_ that his Bunshin would not do.

Iruka-sensei's mouth was twitching slightly, like when he'd pulled that prank on the Hokage Mountain yesterday, and the Chunin had found him.

_Please, please don't let me fail. _

"You fail."

He flinched.

"Iruka." Mizuki-sensei spoke up. "His movements and stamina are good, and he _did _replicate. Maybe we can pass him…"

Naruto stared with a trembling lip, trying to hold onto that sliver of hope. Iruka-sensei refused to look him in the eye, instead staring sullenly at the table.

"Mizuki, everyone is able to produce at least three replicates." He hesitated. "But Naruto can only produce one that will merely be a bother. His record is looking bad too. He barely made it through the year, even having his scores so low that he was threatened to be lowered a grade at one point. He barely learned all the jutsus and just managed to grasp class theory. I cannot pass him."

"Wait!"

Both teachers looked to the blonde, who was desperately gritting his teeth.

"Can, can I try something else?"

Iruka-sensei looked sad, and began to shake his head-

Refusing to take no for an answer, Naruto formed the ram seal.

_Poof!_

With a batch of smoke, three replicas stood next to him, the four blondes staring at him with a hopeful expression.

Mizuki-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Bunshin?"

"No." Iruka-sensei breathed, shocked as one clone wandered away and picked up a hitai-ate, grinning. "These are Kage Bunshin."

Mizuki's eyes widened, and he stared at the clones while the brown haired Chunin stood up to inspect the clones.

He poked them, testing their solidity before dissolving one with a hard kick to the abdomen, almost making Naruto's hand fly up to his stomach.

"They're solid with all senses and no errors, the form's identical, the stamina could be better but…"

Iruka-sensei turned to Naruto.

"You pass."

* * *

><p><em>"Almost three years ago he'd been nothing more than a starving, battered kid searching for his parents... "<em>

There's an explanation for this (To be mentioned in further chapters, very further), but yes, _Naruto did not live in Konoha originally. _

Many thanks to Rayneken for helping me beta this story!

Review please! (:


	3. No Traitor's Game

Early next morning, Naruto found himself waking to the shake of his shoulder. The _violent_ shake of his shoulder.

"Go away Aiko." He mumbled, and tried to turn around. But found that the strong grip wouldn't leave him be.

"Get up, boy."

That wasn't Aiko.

Breathing deeply, he sat up and turned to his caretaker, the woman who had scolded him for arguing with Aiko yesterday. Yua stood before him, still in her night gown, and staring at him with a wary expression.

"Put your clothes on, boy. There are some shinobi here waiting to escort you to the Hokage."

That woke him up.

The Hokage-jiji? Why was he being summoned?

Sighing, he got out of bed, knowing that if he sat there he'd eventually lie down and fall asleep again.

Early morning sunlight breezed through the window curtains. As Yua left the room, he quickly put on his clothes and sandals, briefly brushing his hair and washing his face.

Smiling at the dark blue hitai-ate, _his _hitai-ate, he quickly tied it around his neck. Much more comfortable than having it around the head. Why did people _do _that anyway, everyone knew the throat was best for a killing shot.

Climbing down the stairs, he walked to the front door and opened it, revealing two shinobi he hadn't seen before. Chunin, probably higher, from the looks of that vest.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" One of them asked. He nodded.

"You have been summoned by the Hokage. Please come with us."

They quickly began to bound away. He followed.

* * *

><p>Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Sandaime Hokage. The prodigy child of the Sarutobi Clan taught by the not yet Second Hokage, sensei of the Legendary Sannin, one of which taught the famous Yellow Flash of Konoha. At the age of sixty eight he was still a perfectly capable ninja, able to take on the Jounin easily. He liked Hijiki, but he loved his wife with all his heart and cherished the birth of his children and grandson. He was known privately as a grandfather to those of the village, and widely as 'The Professor' and the God of Shinobi, . However, there were still times where he'd caught himself thinking, or even muttering a certain sentence.<p>

_I'm getting too old for this._

Currently in his office, he puffed out a batch of smoke, while two teachers from the Academy waited patiently, along with his wife Biwako. There were… matters to be discussed with a certain Genin.

_He's certainly shaping into an interesting little ninja._

Three years ago a small blonde boy with whiskers on his cheeks and the traits of a long forgotten man had appeared on the outsides of Konoha. He was but ten or eleven years old, with dirty and tattered clothes, and a small figure that showed clear signs of undernourishment. By the sight of it, the child also had a wounded shoulder, which he explained had been from people chasing him. He hadn't delved any further into the subject.

Two of his scouting Chunin had found the child, which was none other than Naruto. Sarutobi's heart softened at the sight of the boy, asking for permission to stay in Konoha while lying on that hospital bed.

The Sandaime had accepted, preparing to place him into the orphanage as soon as he recovered. The doctors had been stunned, mentioning that he'd healed at an amazing rate and recuperated rather quickly.

It was a strange link pertaining to the boy and that man.

Quickly after that some Shinobi had reported the boy trying to train himself as a ninja, even using a few jutsus. When questioned, Naruto had been rather uncomfortable on the subject, but was ecstatic to learn that he would be going to the Academy to learn.

Now, however, it seemed that could have backfired on them.

The door squeaked open, revealing rambunctious blue eyes and wild golden hair.

_Speak of the devil._

"Come in Naruto." He motioned, and the boy accepted, walking in like he'd been there every day.

Quietly, Sarutobi studied the boy, taking in the details of his outfit.

A sleeveless hoodie which was dark orange –very dark, it looked like the orange fabric was darkened by some transparent black fishnet sort of design placed in front of it- and dark grey on the shoulders, hiding a blue-gray T-shirt. He had some blue navy sweatbands on both of his wrists, dark blue colored pants that reached below his knees, and the traditional shinobi sandals in the same blue too. He supposed the clothing would be good for hiding, and the hoodie could probably help hide that bright blonde hair.

The attire was proper, good enough to move around and hide in, though Naruto looked like nothing more than a civilian, only his balanced stance betraying that he had Shinobi training. At a first glance one would easily think he was but an ordinary child, a short annoyance to those around him. His build was small and lean, from what he could see, but the boy looked scrawny enough for a notable difference between him and other kids of his age. His hair wasn't platinum blonde like the Yamanaka's. It was a golden blonde, boisterous spike barely brushing his eyes. Those were darker than the Yamanaka's too, related more to the ocean rather than the light sky.

And resting on his collarbone was a Leaf symbol hitai-ate. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I guess it's for the picture identification?" Naruto asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Hiruzen shook his head. "Yesterday you managed to create a Kage Bunshin as a substitute for your regular Bunshin during your Final Exam." He leaned forward. "Tell me, Naruto. How did you manage to get a hold of that technique?"

The newly promoted Genin blinked. And turned a bit stiffer in his nervousness. "I kinda didn't... Well, it depends on how you look at it. My, uh, guardian used it from time to time and I know enough of the mechanics to practice it on my own. Truth be told yesterday was the first time I've finally mastered it."

"You mean you've known this technique since before Konoha?" Biwako asked.

The boy fidgeted anxiously. "Yes?"

The two Chunin stared at the blonde.

"The Kage Bunshin is a technique from the Forbidden Scrolls which is usually reserved for some of the stronger Jonin." The Sandaime said, vaguely twitching. "Do you know _why _it's forbidden?"

"Uhh…"

Iruka hung his head low and groaned.

"Wait, wait, wait! It's 'cause it's a more advanced technique, right?"

The Hokage nodded. "The Kage Bunshin is a jutsu which only Jonin are allowed to learn (and even then they're only a select few) since it requires a large amount of chakra to even create one. From Iruka's report, you were able to create three with no problem."

Naruto blinked. "So…?"

"The fact that you have been able to create one at your age means that you have monstrous chakra reserves. No wonder the normal bunshin was so difficult for you." He puffed out a batch of smoke. "How often did you practice this technique?"

"Two or three times."

"Per week?"

"Per year."

Absolute. Quiet.

_To accomplish such a technique in so few time and without help? Kami, he shows much more potential than the Academy thinks._

The blonde was idly playing with his fingers. "Is knowing the Kage Bunshin going to be a problem?"

Sandaime recomposed himself. "No, not at all. We just needed to know how you managed to learn the technique. You say your guardian taught you? Where did he learn it from?"

"…I'm pretty sure that it was in Konoha." Naruto said slowly. "I don't know all the details, but it probably was here."

The Hokage leaned back in his chair, nodding. _If his parentage really is who I think it might be, then this wouldn't be surprising. But Naruto is rather tight-lipped when it comes to his family._

"Very well then, now you are-"

"You old geezer! Fight me!"

_Not again._

"The title of Fifth Hokage belongs to me, Konahomaru-!"

The small child slipped on his scarf and fell face first onto the floor. Beside Hiruzen, Biwako was grumbling about pesky little grandchildren.

_And three, two, one…_

The door slid open again. "Honored grandchild!"

Both Chunin and Genin turned around to stare at the other adult, black spectacles hanging off the edge of his nose. Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh at the eccentricity of that man's student.

Speaking of which, the boy was already standing up, rubbing his nose in pain.

"Ow…" Konahomaru muttered, revealing a gap in his teeth. "Who set a trap?"

"Are you alright, young master?" Ebisu asked, adjusting his spectacles. Naruto simply stood there, blinking. Konahomaru immediately noticed him. He stared and then glanced around him before scowling at the newly graduated Genin.

"Oh, _now_ I get it. _You_ did something, didn't you?"

The boy bristled quickly, scooping up his grandson by the scarf. "You tripped on your own, brat!"

"Hey! Let go of him!" Ebisu interrupted. "He is the grandson of the Third Hokage!"

"Grandson?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded.

Sarutobi sighed, fingers clasped together while Biwako nodded.

Blinking, Naruto turned to stare at Sarutobi and his wife, confusion written plainly across his features.

"What's the matter? Why don't you hit me if you can?" Konahomaru sneered. "You're no match for the grandson of a Hokage!"

"Like I care about that!"

_Thwack!_

Hitting the floor with a bruised head, Sarutobi tsked at his grandchild. He could hear Biwako muttering how the brat deserved it for hiding behind a title.

"Hey Old Man, I didn't know you had a grandson."

"W-what?" Ebisu could only ask, twitching.

He had to give Mizuki some credit for keeping his composure, while Iruka slumped forward, barely surprised at the Genin's antics.

* * *

><p>"Listen, you are the Third's grandson."<p>

Having dragged him away so Grandpa could keep discussing 'important' matters, Glasses-sensei was lecturing him again. Going on and on about how he was the best way to being Hokage and all that stuff, _again_. Frankly Konahomaru didn't really listen, blocking out Ebisu's really long speech. Only experience taught him to make eye contact once in a while, or show that he was actually paying attention.

Frankly, he was more concentrated on finding _that_ guy.

_He knew I was the Third Hokage's grandchild. He _knew_ and didn't care, and hit me in front of Grandpa too!_

He wasn't like the others.

So first thing was first. He just had to wait until Ebisu was distracted enough in his speech, and then simply leave.

That was easy enough, Glasses-sensei's head was big enough as it seemed, all he needed to do was slip away…

"Do you understand, young master?"

But he was already running down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Sighing, Naruto took a shortcut by some alleyways to the orphanage, mildly irritated.<p>

_"So, you're going to get your Shinobi registration Naruto?"_

_"Yeap! Hey Iruka-sensei, remind me again. We can just bring any clothes for the picture, right?"_

_"Well yeah, but Naruto you're supposed to already-"_

_"…"_

_"…"_

_"…"_

_"…Naruto, you're not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?"_

_"Iruka-senseei. You think so badly of me. I'm not planning anything bad, don't worry!"_

_"The Shinobi registration isn't a joke, Naruto. If you do anything funny I'm telling Teuchi to not give you any ramen as punishment."_

_"Aww! Iruka-sensei, you're no fun!"_

Snorting, he couldn't help but sigh at the missed chance. _And I really wanted to test that new face paint I got too!_

Vaguely, his ear twitched at the sound of sandals and rustling clothes.

He paused and turned around, eyes settling on… what was that?

An apparent bundle of white cloth lay on the floor, mocking the camouflage technique the Academy had taught early on. However, instead of being spread out, it was bunched together to make the form more noticeable instead of hiding. A pair of sandals peeked out from under the bundle, presumably the ones he'd just heard.

_Great, I'm being used for camo practice._

Puffing a bright strand of hair out of his face, he shrugged and continued walking.

There was the sound of fabric being discarded, but he couldn't tell if his pursuer had picked it up again. Which made no sense. The kid should've picked it up to use again.

_So not just camo practice._

None the less, he ignored it and kept on walking. However, the sound of crunching dirt behind him wearied his patience away.

Snarling, he turned around to see his stalker.

The kid was badly trying to camouflage himself, with another cloth, against the wooden board. It failed miserably. Not only was it held the wrong way, that boy had forgotten to press against the wall.

"Stop following me! What do you want?" He yelled, realizing that the brat was the Old Man's grandson.

That Konahomaru didn't react, fabric still held up, his fingers and hair sticking out from the top. Naruto couldn't help but twitch at the obvious signs.

_Is this for real?_

"Um… that's really obvious."

The kid chuckled, and finally held down the fabric. "Nice job detecting me. I should've expected it from the guy I've heard rumors about."

_What rumors? _

He pointed at Naruto. "I don't mind being your follower."

_Huh? _"What?"

"But in return, teach me some awesome jutsu to defeat the Hokage geezer!"

Naruto stared at the younger kid, eye twitching. _I must've hit him in the head harder than I thought. Normally you're angry at the person who punched you. _

"Stop joking around, brat." He turned around to walk away, arms swinging up to hold his head.

"Don't say that! Please, Boss!"

Stop. Glance at the squirt. "Boss?"

"Yeah, Boss!" Konahomaru yelled. "Boss, Boss, Boss!"

_Heh. Boss. Has a nice ring to it. _But he knew this game. A simple title wasn't just gonna have him doing whatever this brat wanted."Even if I _were_ to teach you, why would you want me to-"

However, before he could take another step, something heavy had knocked him to the floor, immobilizing him.

"Well isn't this nice?" He dizzily registered the voice, heavy weight on his back. "Two little brats just hanging around. Absolutely perfect."

_Oh no._

With a shriek, Konahomaru was just as easily overwhelmed.

* * *

><p><em>Fifteen minutes. <em>Iruka thought. _Fifteen minutes, and Naruto hasn't arrived yet._

Of course, the blonde could've just been late. And he could've just been paranoid. For Naruto to arrive this late wasn't surprising, and there were even a couple of other students who'd arrive late. Naruto would be fine, and get here in time for his photo, and not mess everything up-

Tapping his foot, he buried away those thoughts and ushered the next student to the roof for her photo. It was the first part of the shinobi registration, and luckily his hyperactive little student was one of the last, but still, he was late.

Experienced as his teacher, Iruka knew that Naruto was never early. Two years ago the blonde had sheepishly explained that sometimes he smashed his alarm clock and slept for another five minutes before realizing what the clock meant. So at most, it meant that he'd arrived panting and with his clothes barely thrown on, meaning that he'd overslept.

There was no such excuse this time. The shinobi registration was in the afternoon, and he'd personally seen Naruto earlier that morning, clearly awake.

Not to mention gone to the orphanage, just to check.

_"Naruto hasn't been here since he left to the Hokage's. No doubt that boy's been wandering around Konoha."_

That was what Yua had said. It'd been nice to see her again, even though the visit was short.

Reprimanding another late student more harshly than he should've, Iruka sat down and let the other teachers handle the rest of the students.

_He's never this late unless…_

_" If you do anything funny I'm telling Teuchi to not give you any ramen as punishment."_

The dark skinned Chunin twitched.

_If he's pulling his prank on top of this all, I'm dragging him back to the orphanage by the ear!_

"Irukaaaa-sensei!"

Dark eyes turned around to meet his little devil. There Naruto was, clothes worn and hair messier than usual.

"Where have you been?" Iruka exclaimed, standing up. "I've been chewing on my nerves all this time because you never showed up!"

The blonde scratched his head, still breathing heavily. "Sorry. I lost track of the time and I don't really have a watch, y'know?"

_Lost track of the… _"Never mind that! Is this how you're planning on taking your picture?"

Almost immediately, he went to organize the Genin's clothes, fussing like a mother hen.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto blushed, embarrassed. "Leave me alone! You're not my dad!"

"It doesn't matter who I am." He replied, adjusting bright golden hair. "You're a mess, and Kami help you if you think I'm letting you go out like that."

Growling, the pre-teen slapped away his hands. "I can fix myself on my own thank you!"

Grumbling, the teacher crossed his arms and watched the blonde adjust his hoodie, and arrange his hair so it stood in it's usual messy style. "What happened to your hitai-ate?" He noted.

The boy paused, before continuing. "I decided to leave it back at the orphanage. Keep it from getting scratched until the graduation ceremony."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "I stopped by the orphanage and they said you hadn't returned all day."

"That's 'cause I entered through the window, duh!"

Frowning, he opened his mouth to reply-

But was cut of by a woman's shout. "Uzumaki Naruto!"

_It's his turn already?_

"That's me!" Said boy grinned. "See you later Iruka-sensei!"

And then he ran off to take his photo.

Iruka plopped to his chair with a groan. _What am I going to do with you, Naruto?_

* * *

><p>Delicately, he needed to bring the ink into a fine line, defining the edge. And then a simple thick curve, beautifully accenting the rest-<p>

"Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen removed the inked brush from his painting, turning around to stare at the ANBU who stood before him.

"The Scroll Vault has been broken into."

He stood up, placing his brush back in it's place before turning to face the ANBU fully. "Were there any scrolls taken?"

"We've checked the archives, sir. Apparently the thief was after a specific scroll, only one was taken."

He puffed out a batch of smoke, staring at the ANBU into the eye of his mask.

"Which scroll was it?"

The elite hesitated.

"…The Forbidden Scroll."

* * *

><p><em>Of all the things to take, why'd it have to be that scroll!<em>

Iruka grit his teeth and kept bounding through the rooftops, following Mizuki to the Hokage's tower.

In the afternoon sky, he could see other types of shinobi heading to the same point as them. The citizens below them whispered and pointed while walking around the town, no doubt they could tell that more shinobi were running around than usual. The ninja amongst the crowd were quick to react, jumping to join them all.

It wasn't long before they arrived to Lord Hokage's place, where most of the other shinobi were already gathered.

"Lord Hokage, aren't there any leads to the thief?"

"Whoever did it can't be far from here!"

"They must be really skilled to be able to break in and steal that scroll."

"We need to do something! The Forbidden Scroll has dangerous jutsu inside them! The First Hokage sealed them away because of it."

"You idiot! Everyone knows that, that's why it's called The Forbidden Scroll!"

The Sandaime raised a hand, and all murmurs fell quiet.

"I have launched an investigation to search who the culprit might be." He said gruffly. "We can assume however, that our thief is a shinobi."

He reached into his pockets. And pulled out a blue hitai-ate. "Apparently our crook isn't as experienced as we think. This forehead protector was found abandoned around the scenes of the crime."

Iruka lifted his head to stare at it, and stiffened. _The threads are barely worn, there's not a scratch on it and the plate's newly polished..._

_"…Keep it from getting scratched…"_

_Oh Naruto, you didn't..._

"Notice something, Iruka?" Mizuki said, noticing his reaction.

Iruka thought Mizuki couldn't have said it any louder, as all of the shinobi turned to stare at the pair. The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who the suspect could be, Iruka?"

He winced. "Um... This is just an educated guess, Lord Sandaime, sir, but the hitai-ate's new, and well... chances are it belongs to a graduated Academy student." He hesitated. "And... well today one of my students showed up late for the Shinobi photo, without his hitai-ate, and his caretaker said that he hadn't been home all day."

"Spit it out Iruka." One of the other Chunin growled. "Who did it?"

The teacher fidgeted for a second, and that was all it took for Mizuki to connect the dots. His eyes widened.

"You think Uzumaki Naruto took the scroll, don't you?"

There was a dead silence. And then the air was filled with negative thoughts.

"I knew that pest was trouble-"

"-Never trust a foreigner-"

"-Nothing but bad luck since he got here-"

"-Horrible idea placing him in the Academy-"

"-Little brat's plan all along-"

_"Enough!" _The Sandaime roared, slashing his hand angrily. Startled by his sudden flare of KI, the whispering crowd quieted.

"L-lord Hokage!" One of the braver Shinobi spoke up. "We cannot let this slide by as a prank!"

"If the Forbidden Scroll is used in a bad way, it could..."

"If he takes it outside of the village, it _will_ become a major problem!"

"He's gone too far this time!"

"When hasn't he gone too far…"

The Sandaime grunted. "Bring Naruto here."

"Yes sir!" They all bounded away.

"I'm going to check the forests of Konoha, in case he's already outside the village!" Mizuki yelled, wind flapping his clothes. "You check the Main Gates!"

Iruka nodded, switching directions.

* * *

><p><em>...And bait for the trap, check.<em>

Mizuki smiled as he entered the forests of Konoha. It had been easy really, the guards had already received the search order, and he needed to _investigate _the outsides of Konoha and make sure the brat had yet to escape. Now just to set everything into action…

The plan was simple.

He needed to take the Forbidden Scroll. Mizuki knew that the jutsus hidden inside would make him stronger, but if anything went wrong, he would pay the price. After observing for many years, waiting for the best moment to strike, he'd finally found a solution.

Kidnap a brat to pin the blame on. Well, if he happened to be a foreigner frowned upon by everyone, all the better. No one cared about the boy enough to notice if he went missing for a few hours, and if Naruto knew one of the techniques on that scroll, it'd just raise suspicion on his part.

He just had to escape while they were searching all over for _him. _By the time they'd found the Genin Mizuki would be far away, Forbidden Scroll in his hands.

Unfortunately, plans had flaws. This one had the extra presence of a certain snot nosed kid that he hadn't expected when he'd ambushed the Uzumaki child.

Releasing the combined henge and genjutsu, the large sack he held with one arm turned back into the little Hokage's brat with a poof. The boy was angrily yelling, though nothing could be heard considering the fact that he had gagged him. It wasn't as annoying as his long scarf though. He kept tripping on the damn thing. On his shoulder was none other than Naruto, motionless as he carried him away. One conscious brat was more than enough, he didn't need to deal with this one, who also knew Kage Bunshin.

Feeling sore, he dropped the blonde on the floor, and sat down on Konahomaru. The plan had been developed quickly and suddenly, so he had no time to prepare, nor materials to use. The little gag around the boy's mouth was the only thing restraining him.

Somehow, the brown haired child managed to free an arm, pulling down the cloth. "You'll never get away with this-!"

Mizuki quickly clapped a hand over the little ingrate's mouth, smirking. "Maybe not forever." He whispered. "But by the time they discover the true plan I'll be long gone."

Konahomaro's muffled protest was quickly silenced with a dangerous jerk of the neck.

"That's right, you don't know what's going on in the village." Mizuki continued. "Well, as of right now, the shinobi forces are on the lookout for your friend over there. You see, apparently he stole the Forbidden Scroll."

Childish eyes were wide, as they drifted to the scroll strapped to his Shuriken.

"And soon, they'll find out he kidnapped the Sandaime's grandson too." He almost giggled at the thought. "However, in an hour or two they'll find Naruto sleeping in an abandoned little lodge not far from here, without you or the Scroll. So they'll take him in for interrogation, and poor little Naruto will have no idea what's going on, while I will be further at the borders of the Country of Fire, with _you _as a ransom ticket."

Konahomaru struggled for a moment.

"Oh but don't worry." He said, with what felt like a predatory smile. "Someone will find you at a village far from here, and you'll eventually be returned to Konoha, where you can fix things up. That is, if they'll listen to a ten year old." He pretended to think, for a moment. "Of course, maybe I could find a client willing to use you to experiment on."

Mizuki silently savored the horror on the child's face before shrugging. "Who knows, I'll decide when we're far enough."

Feeling better from that break, Mizuki lifted Konahomaru once more, an arm wrapped around his torso. Grunting, he slung Naruto over his shoulder, and kept moving.

_Heh, and that damn Souta thought a single person couldn't accomplish all this._

He stumbled slightly, and turned to the Hokage brat with a snarl.

"Kick me again, and I'll be sure to sell you to the slave market!"

* * *

><p><em>Where are you, Naruto?<em>

Iruka grit his teeth as he jumped over the Main Gate district, eyes searching the various shops and buildings placed there. So far he'd been jumping around while searching for no avail, and had even done a ground search, among the citizens. There was no sign of Naruto.

_Naruto has always been particularly hard to find. He doesn't appear to be here, should I move on to another district?_

He had no time to make up his mind for Ebisu appeared among the rooftops, fairly distressed.

"Ebisu!" He yelled. "Any sign of Naruto?"

The special teacher turned to look at him, and he could see just how troubled the man was. Disarranged clothes, twisted hitai-ate, spectacles on the edge of his nose while his posture screamed alarmed.

_Is he that worried about the Forbidden Scroll?_

"Who?" Ebisu asked, before shaking his head. "Ugh… I'm sorry Iruka, but it's not him I'm looking for. …Why are you looking for Naruto anyway?"

Iruka blinked. "You don't know? Ebisu, the Hokage summoned us a while ago, didn't you hear?"

The older man pinched his nose and shook his head. "No, I was more concerned with other matters."

"Well… The Forbidden Scroll's been stolen."

Ebisu gaped.

"And we have reason to suspect Naruto is the culprit."

If anything, the pale man seemed more alarmed. Iruka watched him fuss before narrowing his eyes.

"If you weren't searching for Naruto, what _were _you doing?"

Ebisu paused. "Listen, you were at that meeting earlier, right? When the Hokage was talking with Naruto?"

The tanned Chunin nodded.

"Apparently after I dragged Konahomaru out he disappeared. As far as I'm concerned he's gone to challenge Naruto for revenge, no doubt. I haven't seen him since then."

Iruka's eyes widened. "If he caught up to Naruto do you think…?"

Ebisu was terribly stressed.

"We have to notify the Hokage, immediately."

* * *

><p>He was scared.<p>

In the silence of the lodge's shed, tied up and gagged, Konahomaru could do nothing but shiver.

He was _terrified._

And he'd admit it a thousand times over, if it meant he could go back to his house and home and hug his mom and dad and even his grandparents.

The room was _quiet_. So, so quiet. The spider-webbed corners were dark, and the floor was uncomfortable, and wooden, and cold. There was a small window, too high for him to reach and a locked door, standing ominously at the other side of the room. Loads of boxes and bags and abandoned material scattered the room, often stacked upon each other.

_I wanna go _home!

Wrinkling his nose, he sniffed, wishing his hands were free to scrub those tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Don't cry."

Almost jumping, he turned around to the source of the voice. There was Naruto, rolling his shoulders as he tried to move his arms. "I don't know how to handle people who cry."

"Mmph!" He could only grunt, tears rolling down his cheeks.

As if like magic, the rope around the older boy's wrists loosened, and he quickly moved on to rubbing the back of his blonde head with a groan, before walking over to him and removing the gag.

"Naruto!" He choked, hating it so much. "You're awake! That guy thought you wouldn't wake up until a lot later!"

"Lucky for us." The blonde said, moving on to his back, where his arms were tied. "The doctors like to pester me about my acceler-something healing and all that stuff. It's pretty handy sometimes."

Konahomaru heard a little 'fwip' behind him, followed by the steady sizzle of a flame.

"Stay still." Naruto said from behind him, though his voice sounded ragged. He could probably tell Konahomaru had tensed up. "This won't hurt you."

Soon enough, his own wrists were free.

The first thing he did was hug the older boy. Konohamaru didn't notice how Naruto stiffened, and then hesitatingly relaxed, looping an arm around the younger boy.

"Hey… it's okay." He felt a hand rub his back comfortably. "We're gonna get out, and away from Mizuki. He won't be taking you from Konoha."

"You heard?" He sobbed. "How long have you been awake?"

"A while. Long enough to know what he's planning at any rate." Naruto stiffened. "We're gonna get out of here, and... do something. Get help or whatever, I dunno."

"Okay." He whispered, and pulled apart, finally rubbing his tears. "So that creep's name is Mizuki? I didn't know."

"Yeah." Naruto said. "Lucky for us, he needed to scout ahead before taking you. We need to get out before he comes back."

Konahomaru nodded, and pointed at the door. "It's locked." He'd heard the door click when Mizuki had left.

"I know that." Naruto grinned. "We're using the window."

Some stacked boxes later, both of them were squeezing through said window, into another room which could be described as a closet.

Naruto tested the knob. "C'mon, please be open, please be open… yes!"

The door squeaked open, and the older boy quickly peeked out before motioning for him to follow. As quietly as possible, both of them sneaked around the desolated hallways until they came across the back door.

Konahomaru made sure to stick as close as possible to Naruto, silently holding his breath as they approached each corner. Frankly he didn't know the older boy that well, having just met him that morning, but he felt he could trust Naruto. The blonde _had _become a Genin after all. That had to mean something, right?

As soon as they set foot on the forest floor, both of them sprinted away as fast as they could.

"Naruto." Konahomaru said quietly, struggling to keep his breath in check. "What do we do if we find Mizuki?"

"I'll fight him while you run for some help." Naruto answered, faring better. "If he does manage to capture you, try not to worry too much."

"Why not?"

"You're the Sandaime's grandson." He answered, grabbing Konahomaru before jumping to a higher tree to supervise. "Dragging you along means that the shinobi will be working harder to find you. It makes things more dangerous for him. If Mizuki decides to take you with him, they'll keep on looking and prove to be a large thorn in the side."

He grinned again. "If that creep doesn't figure it out eventually just point it out to him."

Konahomaru nodded. "I have a question. If you woke up earlier, why didn't you just attack Mizuki then, when you weren't bound?"

"Because I needed to rescue you." Naruto said, crouching down. "Get on my back, it's faster if we jump through the trees."

Konahomaru held on, feeling his stomach flip as they did so.

"…I'm just a Genin." The blonde commented after a while. "At any case, Mizuki is older. Maybe I could take him if it was just me, but I need to take care of you too. Didn't want him using you as a hostage against me."

"So what are we gonna do?"

"Get as far away as possible. Head back to the village and explain everything."

Naruto slowed down, eventually stopping on a branch and letting Konahomaru get off. "…He still has the Forbidden Scroll, doesn't he?"

Black eyes widened, and the younger boy nodded. The blonde turned and muttered something too low for Konohamaru to hear.

"We need to get it back!" Konahomaru bravely decided. "We're the only ones who know he has it!"

"I'm all for it!" But then Naruto bit his lip. "Though if we try to get it back, he might capture us again."

Both of them fell into a dead silence, listening to chirping birds far away.

"So what do we do?"

"How about explain what you're planning, Naruto?"

Both turned around to an angry Iruka.


End file.
